We live in an era of peak television – peak prestige television. Shows with prolific stars, massive budgets, and high production value are competing as viciously as the rest, sometimes at the cost of what the writers actually mean to say.

As we fall for labyrinthine shows like Westworld, full of twists and puzzles and sweeping monologues about humanity, it can be easy to get lost in the noise and lose sight of the narrative. As awesome as it is to be challenged by the shows we watch,...